All-Tech Raceway would like to thank our fans and race teams for showing up in full force last night. We had a blast. Enjoy our race report written by our very own Austin Griffis. See everyone in a few weeks!

Austin Yarbrough capitalizes after the leaders tangle to win the fifth edition of the Harvey Jones Memorial at All-Tech Raceway.

Thirty of the best crate late model drivers in the Southeast made their way to Lake City, Florida, on a beautiful Memorial Day weekend to honor the life and legacy of local racing legend Harvey Jones. As the 50-lap main event went green, the No. CO2 of pole sitter Mark Whitener and No. 18B of Austin Yarbrough led the charge into turn one. Trouble struck early for Ocala Restaurant Supply fast qualifier, Ty Giles, as his No. 97 car lost power on the second lap of the race. Giles pulled into the infield as the race stayed green. Up front, Whitener led the way early while the No. G4 of Trent Ivey made his way into the second spot. As the opening green-flag run went long, the outside groove became a disadvantage. Whitener had both Ivey and Yarbrough hot on his tail until the leaders caught the tail end of the field. Whitener was then able to navigate the lapped traffic and build a gap over second place. The caution flew for the first time on lap 30 when 2023 winner Dillon Brown spun his No. 6 car in turn four. Chaos would ensue on the restart with Ivey careening into the front-stretch wall after contact with Whitener. Ivey’s race was over, while Whitener was ordered to the tail of the field. Yarbrough, driving for Mark Fleischer, would inherit the race lead with the No. 9 of Ches Chester moving to 2nd. Chester made a move for the lead on a lap 30 restart but was unsuccessful; this allowed the No. 00 of Cody Overton to move into the runner-up spot. Overton knocked Yarbrough’s lead to within half a second before a caution fell with two to go for the No. 29 of Cameron Saunders. Yarbrough was able to defend the top spot on a green-white-checkered finish to claim the win over Overton and the No. 721 of Ivedent Lloyd. For Fleischer, it’s his second Harvey Jones Memoral win as a car owner (Hunter Peacock, 2022).

Also on tap for a 20-lap feature was the Plumb Level Construction Crown Vic division. Twenty-one cars took the green flag as the No. 18 of Blake Ridgdill, making the long haul from Moore Haven, led the way. On lap two, the No. 12 of Shane Ridgdill nailed an infield tractor tire and barrel rolled in turn one. When the race continued, Blake Ridgdill remained in the top spot with the No. R1 of Timmy Roach Sr. and the No. 49 of Ronnie Klys competing for 2nd. From the 7th starting spot, the No. 65 of John Windham worked his way into the second spot on lap seven, before being passed again by Klys with five to go. With two laps to go, Windham got into the back of Klys and both cars spun in turn three. Windham was sent to the back, while Klys retained his position. On the late restart, Ridgdill, who had led the entire race up to this point, had an issue in turn one and fell outside the top 10. Subsequently, the No. 52 of Mack Smith and No. 72 of Walker Windham crashed on the exit of turn two while racing Klys for the lead, bringing the caution out once more. On the final restart, it was Klys holding off Roach for the second straight week. The No. 44 of Daniel Starner finished 3rd from the 20th starting spot.

Closing out the night was the Buildings and More Factory Stocks. The No. 41R of Robert O’Neail was on pole but was quickly shuffled out of line. Taking the lead was the No. 82 of Shane Taylor, who led the first line laps in pursuit of his first feature win since 2022. Trouble occurred on lap nine as the No. 11 of Quentin Steedly hit the wall in turn one. The No. 56 of Patrick Williams found his way to the top spot after the restart with the No. 119 of Joe Belkey 2nd. Belkey gave Williams a few shots in the shorts but couldn’t knock Williams off the bottom. Belkey then tried the outside but quickly fell back to 4th. This gave the No. 41L of Mikey Kopka a shot at the lead, but he couldn’t make his way around Williams either. Williams scored his first win of the season, with Kopka 2nd and the No. 33 of Kevin Durden 3rd.

During intermission, the Juice Box division presented by Benny’s Racing Equipment made its debut at All-Tech Raceway. After weeks of preparation, a large crowd of 3-6-year-olds made their way onto the front stretch to race their Radio Flyer electric go-karts. After two chaotic and fun-filled races, the youngsters were met with a roar from the crowd. We were pleasantly suprised at the large turnout for the Juice Box races and look forward to doing them again throughout the season. All-Tech Raceway returns to action on June 7th for a regular Saturday night show, before the USCS Sprint Cars take to the track on Friday, June 13th.